Physical Privacy

The technology and advancements in our lives continue to grow and evolve every day. One arena where this is particularly true is genetic research and testing. Unlike years past, genetic testing is no longer depicted as the mad scientist caricature or black and white movie depiction of a man in a white lab coat with wigged out hair and the notorious Jekyll laugh attempting to alter the mind of an unworthy subject. Instead it is now viewed as way to determine precursors to possible chromosomal abnormalities, diseases or afflictions in ourselves and that of our children.

As a mom of three, I was given the option to have genetic testing done during all of my pregnancies, partially because my age, but also as a common practice for any pregnancy. Through much testing, doctors have determined that as women age, we become more susceptible to having a child with a possible chromosomal abnormality. With that being said, my obstetrician made me aware of genetic screening called triple test or triple screen, as it’s commonly referenced, during the first trimester. This non-invasive test is a blood sample taken during the second trimester between weeks 15-20 which looks for pre-cursors to three common chromosomal abnormalities. These abnormalities are the Trisomy 21 (Down’s Syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edward’s Syndrome) and open neural tube defects (American Pregnancy Association, 2011).

My husband and I decided to have the screening done, all the while knowing that no matter the results we would continue on with the pregnancy. Knowing this information just prepared us for what we could possibly be facing as well as provides us the option of having more invasive test done had the results showed that our unborn child possessed some of the genetic signs of having any of the chromosomal abnormalities.

Genetic testing is not only used to detect pre-cursors in unborn children but is also utilized in a variety of circles. From testing newborns for diseases or determining ones susceptibility to a certain condition, to proving or disproving ones innocence of a crime based on their DNA, a single drop of blood can provide a wealth of sensitive information. Because of the nature of that information, issues and discussions have arisen regarding genetic testing specifically in the workplace and the privacy concerns of employees. The concern being, do employers have the right to require its employees to be subjected to genetic testing for their benefit? Which is more important, the benefit of the employer or the physical privacy of the employee.

Putting genetic testing to the side for a second, let’s look at physical privacy and what it encompasses. Physical privacy could be defined as preventing “intrusions into one's physical space or solitude (Wikipedia.com, 2011).” It is the limited access to a person’s thoughts or his body (Persson and Hansson, 2003). This would include such concerns as:

• preventing